Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “write” come from?

Write comes from Middle English writen, from Old English wrītan, from Proto-Germanic wrītaną, from Proto-Indo-European wrey-, ultimately from the root wer-.

write (English): To form letters, words or symbols on a surface in...

Definitions

  1. To form letters, words or symbols on a surface in...

Ancestry of “write”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishwritenTo write ; note the following common specialised...
2Old Englishwrītanto incise, engrave; to scratch, carve, write; to...
3Proto-West Germanicwrītanto scratch, to carve
4Proto-Germanicwrītanąto scratch, carve; to engrave, inscribe, write
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwēr-true
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “write”

  • writing
  • handwriting
  • rewrite
  • handwritten
  • songwriting
  • overwrite
  • typewriting
  • screenwriting
  • playwriting
  • writable
  • speechwriting
  • writeth
  • rewritable
  • freewriting
  • scriptwriting
  • writeback
  • handwrite
  • writest
  • sportswriting
  • skywriting
  • rewriter
  • newswriting
  • patchwriting
  • unwritable
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →